Of Guns and Promises
by Alicia Zarra
Summary: This is a Mafia AU story. Victor is the Boss of a prominent Mafia Clan. Inspector Sergeant Katsuki Yuri is zealous when it comes to his work. As the streets become more dangerous with the ongoing activities of Mafia, every bit of Yuri's training is put to test. What will happen when fate brings Victor and Yuri together? Will Victor be able to uphold his family values?
1. Chapter 1

A bruise on the left arm and a throbbing sensation behind the eyeball which would surely turn into a black eye. Victor swore and wondered how long he would have to keep up the façade.

In front him were JJ Leryo's slodiers—lowest ranking pawns in the hierarchy of Mafia. They were having fun, playing before they looted the apparently unprotected rich businessman. Victor had been enjoying an early morning stroll until JJ's goons spoiled the mood.

He had taken over the Yakov Clan after its former Boss Yakov had retired. He had tried long and hard to keep his identity a secret. And certainly he couldn't let it slip now. But what infuriated him most was that JJ's men were harassing someone who, by all means, appeared to be a respectable businessman in Yakov's area. That was unacceptable.

The men only had baseball bat and crowbars with them—no gunfire.

_Good,_ Victor thought as he touched his Colt 1911 hidden in the inside pocket of his coat, _I'd hate to use Yakov's logo inscribed bullets on them._

He knew that this was JJ's way of payback. JJ had been furious that the prospective member he'd thought of adding to his mob had instead joined Yakov gang. The said man—Dino—had flipped at the last moment and begged Otabek to initiate him into the Yakov clan. Despite Chris' qualms, Victor had allowed him. _Let's see how it plays out. Will he turn out to be a bird who will sing on both sides of the fence? _Victor had said.

Consequently, an enraged JJ began to attack people at random in Yakov area. He used expendables, arming them with nothing except simple crowbars, so that they could not be traced back to JJ. Had some lesser ranking member of Yakov clan been standing in place of Victor, he would not have even recognized that these men to belonged to JJ. But Victor knew. He always knew a lot more that either JJ or the police would prefer.

Speaking of police, Victor heard sirens coming from the left alley. His focus shifted to the blue police car skidding as it took a sharp turn.

A sharp pain erupted at the back of his skull as he realized that one of the men had taken advantage of his distraction. He swirled around to hit back, but the three men had already noticed the police and began running. Victor swayed on his feet and his gaze became unfocussed.

XXX

Robin sat behind the wheels in the police car, never taking his eyes off the three perpetrators. Inspector Katsuki sat beside him, silent but taut like a coiled spring—ready to take action any minute. It had been only a week since Robin had joined the Detroit division of Michigan Police and he was yet to fully adapt to the rising rates of racketeering crimes in the city.

Yuri scanned the area. A man with silver hair stood in the middle of the road. Judging by his clothes, he was likely wealthy. He was bruised and his clothes were soiled. A roofless jeep was parked a few feet away. On either sides of the avenue, there where shops. All of these were closed.

The three goons scurried towards the jeep. Yuri heard the loud rumble of the jeep as they accelerated away.

"Fast! We have to keep up" he ordered Robin.

Yuri leaned out from the window of the passenger seat, revolver in his hand. He paused for one minute to take aim at the rear wheel.

He pulled the trigger. The jeep almost toppled over as it skidded to a nasty stop.

The three goons stumbled out of the jeep and began running.

One man spotted a cylindrical trash can on the street. He lifted it and hurled it towards the police van.

Robin bit his lip as he steered the car dangerously left. They dodged the trash can and sped forward. The police car came to a stop in front of the men. It had blocked their forward exit, but he noted that there was a narrow alley on the right side.

Yuri and Robin fired randomly at the ground as they exited the van.

Yuri elbowed one man on the back of the neck. He pushed this man over the second man.

Time appeared to freeze for a moment as Yuri struggled to contain the two men who were lying in a heap of tangled limbs and a few feet away Robin held the third man—a bit too brawny and sinuous for Robin—in a neck lock, his face turning blue.

Finally time thawed. The brawny man broke free from Robin. Yuri knocked the second man unconscious. He quickly handcuffed them both.

The brawny man punched Robin and ran towards the narrow alley. Yuri chased him, firing at the ground. Robin followed suit. But once they turned the corner, the man had already disappeared.

Yuri frowned, "We should've followed him in our car," he mumbled, "Let's go back Robin."

XXX

All Victor had registered were a few gunshots, a blur of blue police van and some shouting and cursing.

He swayed on his feet and his head felt light. Firm hands on his shoulders steadied him.

"Are you okay, mister?"

A bespectacled man in his twenties stood in front of him with concerned eyes. Victor stood in awed silence. Not only were his features exotic and beautiful, but there seemed to be a halo around him. Victor shook his head violently; he must've still been dizzy because of the blow on his head.

"Um… excuse me, I'm Inspector Katsuki, can you hear me?" The bespectacled man waved his hand in front of him, his brows furrowing further in concern.

Victor was still in a haze, "Oh, uh…yes. I'm fine thank you."

Now Victor took the time to assay the man in front of him. He had black hair, the messy fringes covering his forehead, and his features were Asian. _Japanese or Korean perhaps? _He thought. He wore a blue suit with white shirt and…a golden badge pinned to his suit!

Victor finally snapped out of it. _He's a police, damn it! Did I hit my head so hard?_

Victor had information on quite a few notable police officers in Michigan. But Katsuki was not one of them.

"Hello Victor," Yuri held out his hand, "Come with us. We'll take you to the hospital to make sure you haven't got any serious injuries. We can take your statement afterwards."


	2. Chapter 2

A few days had passed since the encounter.

Back at Detroit police station, all the members of Team C were seated around a circular table. Team C comprised of total 5 members

At the end nearest to the board was Inspector Sergeant Katsuki Yuri. On his either flanks were Phichit and John. Yuri had known Phichit since his training days.

John had a reticent nature and spoke rarely. But he had a knack for noticing things that others missed, and Yuri found this extremely helpful.

Robin was the latest addition to the team, a bit nervous in disposition but headstrong. He was seated directly opposite to Yuri, with Mat on his left and Phichit on his right.

Mat had a heavy and muscular built—thus earning him the moniker 'The Hulk of Team C'

They were discussing the progress of their case. Their mission was to track down two big mafia gangs—Yakov gang and JJLeroy gang.

So far this was the information they had garnered: Both the gangs bootlegged cocaine and heroin. Yakov clan also ran a prostitution circuit. Two women had disappeared and their cases were being followed up independently. But Yuri had a hunch that the Yakov clan was behind it.

Five posh restaurants in detroit were kept under the police radar since their patrons were a bit shady. But so far, they could not get solid proof of any Mafia-related activity.

Four months back, there had been a gang war which caused much civilian damage. This war marked the birth of Team C with the sole objective Mafia crackdown. The said war was likely due to land related feud between Yakov clan and JJ clan. But since then, there hasn't been any outright violence in the last 4 months, indicating that they must have sorted out some kind of division of land. Based on some of the racketeering activities, the team had chalked up an approximate line of division.

Yuri sighed as he sat back in his chair. Since Team C's inception, progress had been sluggish. Most of their material was speculation at best and heresy at worst. There were too many loopholes. Whenever they thought they'd found a lead, it went dead.

Yuri knew that if they failed to produce significant results within the end of this month, this unit would be dissolved.

"Is that all, everyone?"

Robin raised his hand, "One more thing, sir."

Yuri motioned with his hand to continue.

"Last night, a truck carrying 10 tons of goods was looted. There were allegedly 5 culprits. The truck driver was able to identify one of them—a man who goes by the name 'Col'. Team F has started the investigation."

"Is there any evidence to suggest that this might be related to either of the gangs?" Even though Yuri asked this loud, he knew in his gut that there was a connection.

"Col was reported to have frequently visited Restaurant La Belle—one of the five restaurants that are under scrutiny."

"Alright. Thanks for the report, Robin. Phichit, I want you to assist Team F on this case and keep updating me."

"On it!"

"Everyone dismissed."

XXX

The deafening cacophony of the traffic on the street was a stark contrast to the dead silence of the worn down building in which they had been a few hours ago. Victor, Yurio and Otabek had been engaged in a meeting with a drug dealer, Erik was a soldatos, also known as 'Made Man'. Anyone deemed eligible to join the Yakov clan had to undergo an initiation ceremony, which consisted of shooting a human sacrifice at point blank and then shedding a drop of blood from the trigger finger. The former act was to be witnessed by the Mafia clan members. This was a safeguard. If the newly initiated ever considered spilling the beans, this thought would cross their mind—'You would never testify against someone who can testify against you.'

About the second act, Victor held a firm opinion that it was just to add to the dramatic effect and cult vibe. The boss' presence was not mandatory but Victor occasionally came as a witness. Whenever Victor was present he would always wear a mask to hide his identity. Sometimes, Yurio and Otabek would conceal their faces, too. This was called 'Omerta'—the shroud of secrecy. Only a few knew the true faces of the highest ranking members of the Mafia family. On this instance, Yurio's face hadn't been convered. Erik was to become a member of Yurio's regime. Yurio and Otabek were both caporegimes, each heading a regime consisting of 20 soldatos each.

Erik was meant to expand the drug business of Yakov clan. The statistics of crack addicts had nearly doubled in Michigan since the last year and Yakov clan was keen on increasing the profits. _But we need to progress at a slower rate, Victor, anything drastic could catch unwanted attention. _His consiglere, Chris, had cautioned. Chris was his advisor. His position forbade him from being a simple 'Yes Man' that all the other members of the Mafia were. The both of them would go back and forth with a plan numerous times, Chris badgering him with questions and mercilessly pointing out the loopholes. Victor owed more than half of Yakov clan's success to him.

They had just driven past the police station when Victor abruptly asked them to stop the car.

"You guys go on. I'll just take a stroll," Victor said.

"What's wrong?" Yurio asked.

"Just need some fresh air," with that Victor was out of the car in a whoosh.

"If he wants fresh air, why is he walking towards the police station," Otabek asked Yurio.

"Judging from his expression, he's gone there to ogle at his crush?"

Otabek looked questioningly at him, "The police officer you mentioned?"

"Yep."

"Maybe he might try to turn the police into a crack addict? That would be a boost to our sales."

Yurio shook his head and hit the accelerator, "I would've been on cloud nine if that were the case, but Victor being Victor, he'll likely do something that'll make me gag."

Yurio had known Victor for a long time. Victor had been a proxy guardian to Yurio. He knew Victor had his eccentrities.

XXX

Victor approached the bespectacled man in blue uniform with quick strides. Yuri was standing beside a light post, with hands in his pockets and shoulders drooping.

"Long night?"

Yuri turned around, surprised "Victor?"

"Hello." He held out his hand, "I haven't properly thanked you for saving me from those goons. Since we're both here, and your duty's just finished, why don't I buy you dinner and some drinks?"

Yuri looked embarrassed as he shook the extended hand, "Oh no, you don't have to thank me at all, it's my pleasure to be able to help."

"I insist"

Yuri hesitated, "Okay…but just sandwich. I don't drink on workdays."

Victor's face lighted up, "Sandwich it is, then"

They were seated in a Subway restaurant with a platter of Chicken Ham Sandwiches, French Fries and Coke spread out before them.

Victor began, "Let me guess, you're from Japan…or Korea?"

"Japan, Hasetsu. I know I look obvious," He said sheepishly.

"But your English is good. Why did you come here?"

"I was transferred," He shrugged, "If I'm not wrong, your accent has a touch of Russian in it."

Victor was stunned, "I thought I'd got rid of that accent long back? You're actually the first person in a long time to point it out to me" _Of course— he's a detective. And a good one too._

"I actually had a Russian friend back in Hasetsu. I even picked up a few words from him"

They began talking about everything from Yuri's family onsen—which is one of the last standing hot springs in Hasetsu—to his family, the antics of his drunk father, his elder sister, his late poodle Vicchan.

"You like poodles?"

"I love them." Yuri enthused

"Well, next time I'll make sure to introduce you to Makkachin."

Victor had told Yuri that he was a businessman. His job was to procures drugs from several pharmaceutical companies and sell them. It wasn't a lie, but neither was it the whole truth.

"Tell me more about your family, your elder sister, Mari—wasn't it? I've never had any siblings." Victor had told him that after his parents' death in a car accident, he had been brought up by a neighbor, Yakov, who was himself childless.

Yuri laughed, "She's the worst sibling ever! She's too perceptive, you can't _ever_ keep secrets from her and she'll always find a way to make you do her share of chores as well."

Victor smiled tenderly, "I can imagine the nightmare"

"There was once this instance, when I was a teenager, I had a huge crush on Plushenko—the Russian figure skater. I had a collection of his posters hidden under my bed. Mari snuck into my room and found them. She kept on teasing me about it for almost the entire of my high school."

Victor was mildly surprised by Yuri's openness. He himself hailed from Russia and hence, was often tight-lipped about his orientation, "Does that mean you like men?"

"I guess it does." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. But then, his expression turned playful, "If you're homophobic, I guess this is your cue to run."

"But I have a sandwich to finish," Victor whined and then they both burst out laughing.


	3. Chapter 3

"Aren't you the best boy around here? Aren't you the best?" Victor cooed as he goofed around with Makkachin. It was 7 a.m. in the morning. Victor had finally started taking the age old advice of morning walk seriously.

Makka and Victor were in the park. The streets and trees were covered in a thick layer of snow since last night.

"Victor, 'morning!" Yuri greeted. He was jogging towards them, wearing a sweatshirt.

"Good Morning! You don't have your shift in the station today?"

"I switched with Phichit. I'm taking the afternoon shift. You tell me, the busy businessman is not so busy today" Yuri teased.

Their subway dinner had turned into dinners at restaurant and before long, they were dating. Makkachin had taken an instant liking to Yuri. He jumped at Yuri, licking him and wagging its tail.

"Oh! Hey there Makkachin!" Yuri patted the dog happily.

The three of them played in the park. Makkachin happily ran back and forth between Victor and Yuri as they threw a small rubber ball at him.

At some point when Victor and Yuri were standing side by side, Makka jumped at Yuri, unbalancing him. Yuri toppled over Victor and the three of them fell to the ground. Yuri and Victor were laughing loudly while Makka ran around them in a circle, wagging his tail and barking at the top of his lungs.

XXX

Later that night, Yuri had invited Victor to his house for dinner. After dinner, they were sitting on the couch watching a movie. Yuri had drifted off to sleep on Victor's shoulder. He turned the TV off and planted a soft kiss on Yuri's head.

Yuri stirred awake.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you"

"When did I fall asleep," asked Yuri, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"About halfway through the movie," Victor smiled, "I guess it's time for me to leave," He got up and made a move to leave.

"Victor, wait" Yuri was fully awake now and looked a bit sheepish, "…Stay the night with me?"

Warmth filled Victor. So far, they had only shared a few kisses. Yuri's invitation implied that he trusted Victor enough to take the next step.

With his heart beating out of his ribcage, Victor walked towards Yuri and leaned down to kiss him. The chaste kiss soon evolved into a deeper, more sensuous one. Yuri's hands gripped at his shirt. Victor trailed his lips over his jaw line, behind his ears, down his neck and on his collarbones.

"Bedroom?" Victor breathed out in between the kisses.

"Bedroom." Yuri replied, panting.

Victor lifted him off his feet and carried him to the bedroom. He laid Yuri on the bed and began unbuttoning his shirt, lips never leaving his skin as he undressed him. Victor felt several hypertrophied scars on Yuri's chest and back.

He figured that being an Inspector Sergeant, Yuri would have faced his fair share of violence. But this… the scars ran in criss-cross pattern. It was almost as if he'd been tortured.

He pulled away and looked at Yuri with concern, "What happened?"

Yuri looked away, "It was a case that I was working on…I don't really want to talk about it right now,"

Victor's heart dropped at that.

"I'm sorry if it turns you off," Yuri made a grab at his shirt lying on the floor.

Victor stopped Yuri, "No it isn't. It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. And plus," Victor smiled, "I have my fair share of mine."

As Victor removed his own shirt, Yuri saw a few parallel scars running across his chest and shoulders.

"My birth parents had a twisted sense of humor." Victor said. He hoped this would encourage Yuri to share his story, of how he got those gruesome scars.

But Yuri pulled him close and kissed him, kissed him hard.

Victor returned the kiss with equal fervor. He drank in Yuri's moans, the way he writhed, arching his back up and grasping the bed-sheet.

Victor kissed his way down Yuri's chest, nipples and abdomen. He gently turned Yuri onto his stomach, all the while leaving a trail of love bites around his waist.

Victor took out a bottle of lube and prepped him. Before long, he was inside Yuri, both of them grunting as they rode an orgasm together.

XXX

Yuri woke up with a start, perspiring. It was midnight. He looked at Victor's sleeping from. He got up from the bed, went to the dining room and drank a glass of water.

He then walked to the basin and splashed some water on his face. Glimpses of the nightmare came back to him. In the dream, he was being held captive by Yakuza clan's members. His screams echoed through the dark room as the men removed his nails with a plier.

Back then, he had been working on the Japanese Mafia case.

Afterwards, it had taken him months of psychotherapy to overcome the PTSD. It had been four weeks before he could set a foot into his office without a shiver running up his spine. And further three weeks till he got back into active duty.

The therapist had advised him to think of calming thoughts—thoughts that rooted him. At the time, Vicchan was his greatest comfort. He would curl in a bed with him and all of his worries would disappear, even if momentarily.

But Vicchan was gone, now. His family was in Hasetsu. He wondered if he should get an appointment with a therapist. But his therapist was back in Japan, and he was hesitant to meet a new one here.

He repeated the breathing exercises that his therapist had taught him. And went back into the bedroom,

_Think of calming thoughts,_ the doctor had said.

But all of Yuri's calming thoughts had involved oceans of Hasetsu and Vicchan and home-made Katsudon.

By the time Yuri had returned, Victor had woken up and wondered aloud if anything was wrong with Yuri.

"Nothing, just felt thirsty. Went to get some water," Yuri replied

He climbed back in bed and realized that the thought of going back into Victor's arms was a calming thought.

_But it's dangerous to think of him as an anchor, _Yuri cautioned himself, _Will Victor be always there?_

He let himself be lulled by Victor's warm embrace and drifted off into peaceful sleep.

XXX

Victor had been living with Yuri for quite some time. He had become familiar with most of his habits. His tastes, Victor had noticed, were very down to earth. His clothes, apart from police uniform, were are simple and his room was sparsely furnished with utilitarian things. Unlike Victor, he was not fond of collecting odd paraphernalia to remind him of his vacations.

Sometimes, as they lay in bed together, Yuri would tell him stories of how he caught a burglar or how he solved a case with his team. They were tidbits only. Yuri never revealed anything too confidential. Victor would always be mesmerized by the way Yuri told these stories. It was clear to him that Yuri loved keeping people safe.

Yuri would sometimes hint at organized crime, "The streets are so dangerous nowadays, Victor. You need to promise me that you'll be careful. And if anything happens—even the smallest thing—call me."

Victor smiled tenderly at his words

"You know, there are these gangs. And they use inscribed bullets even…but wait…"Yuri was mostly talking to himself now, "If they are using inscribed bullets, then they _want_ to draw our attention. We should be looking at the cases where there _are no _inscribed bullets. That's it! Those are the cases they don't want to draw attention to—Oh!" Yuri seemed to come back to the present, "I'm sorry, I must be boring you with this stuff,"

"No…not at all" Victor said through pursed lips.

At the pit of his stomach, Victor felt a deep fear. If Yuri kept this up, then how long did he have before Yuri's squad tracked down Yakov clan?


	4. Chapter 4

Victor closed his eyes as floated on the water. He felt light as if a comforting blanket had cocooned him. For a few minutes, he could forget the world.

Chris walked in with a bottle of wine. His face was flushed and he was wearing goggles. He was naked save for the shorts that he was wearing.

"Victor, you simply cannot live without tasting this exquisite vintage wine. It is exquisite, just the right texture on your tongue," Chris' sultry voice drawled.

Chris was tipsy—Victor could tell.

Victor exited the pool and began drying himself with a towel. "Chris, I called you here to discuss business stuff with you. You should've been sober."

It was like a switch flipped inside Chris' head. He was alert in an instant.

"Go on. Let's start with 'drugs' business". 'Drugs' was the code for heroin and cocaine.

"Our usual route is being inspected by police too often. One day some truck driver will mess up and the cops will get their hands on our goods. Before that happens, I want to change the route."

Chris' silence was a sign Victor should continue.

"The truck will be loaded from Townsville and will pass through Town Beta and then from Catgown port, it will be shipped overseas."

"But Town Beta police is vigilant and we don't have good contacts in that towns' police" Chris pointed out.

The discussion regarding route went on for about an hour. They their conversation turned toward a certain pimp of their prostitution circuit who was demanding a raise in revenues. He was indirectly threatening of diverting his business to JJ's gang.

Chris weighed the pros and cons of giving in to this demand.

"Or," Victor began, "we could gift him a Christmas present of a nice little bullet through the skull."

"Ok." Replied Chris, "But before that find out if and who in the JJ clan he has been contacting. Kill him, too. Yakov inscribed bullets. We should warn JJ what the consequences of trying to double cross us is."

"Speaking of JJ"

"Yeah. I heard. He was attacking people at random in our area." Chris laid back on his elbows. The previous posture of alertness was replaced by a relaxed one. The conversation had strayed towards JJ—this meant that the usual talk about business was done.

JJ was a pain in the ass, but he was a pain that was going to stay. No point in wasting too much energy on him—as long as things were in control.

They enjoyed the wine in silence

"Say, Victor" Chris spoke up, "Yurio mentioned you have a crush,"

Victor groaned, "I didn't think Yurio would gossip,"

"He didn't exactly gossip, it was more in the lines of 'he's making me sick, acting all gooey around his cop-crush…' Yurio thinks this is similar to the time you developed that thing for cotton candy. You used to eat it everyday and would go into a monologue for an hour describing its sweetness and light fluffiness." Chris laughed as he reminisced.

Victor laughed too, "I guess everyone's glad that phase passed in a month."

Chris scrutinized him for a minute. Victor and Chris were childhood friends. Chris knew how to read Victor like the back of his hand. He knew that this wasn't just a crush, it went deeper.

"You know" Chris spoke at length "this can't have a happy ending."

Victor's expression immediately darkened, "I know"

"Then stay away from him"

Victor didn't reply. Instead he said, "I need to take Makka on a walk. He hasn't been getting enough exercise lately."


	5. Chapter 5

Yuri sat in front of his computer. He had connected all the dots with Phichit last night before duty hour was over. They had figured out the identity of some of the notable Mafioso in Yakov clan

But Yuri had stayed there. He went over the information again and again. He wasn't exactly in denial. He knew his research was flawless. And it was something that Yuri had known in his guts for a long time.

But it was the impact of seeing it written out on the screen in front of him.

Yuri felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

He kept staring at the screen till dawn broke.

Finally, a single teardrop trickled down his face.

XXX

Victor had just announced to everyone—Mila, Otabek, Yurio and Chris—that he would surrender himself to the police.

He handed out some documents that had their new identities. It would help them start a new life.

Mila took her papers and then took out her lighter. Victor stood baffled as she set the papers on fire. All the others followed suit.

"If you go down, we go down with you" Chris said, "that is what loyalty means to us."

"We don't know any world outside this Yakov Family." Otabek said.

"Guys, don't do this," Victor pleaded. He realized that requesting them wouldn't work. His expression changed to that of the demeanor that Yakov Boss Victor Nikiforov was known for, "This is an order from your boss."

It was Mila who spoke up, "We won't follow your command. You know what the protocol is. Kill us." She said,pointing towards the gun attached to Victor's belt.

Victor's hands twitched. He finally let out a breath, "Fine. Have it your way."

Victor noted that Yurio had remained silent the whole time. Whether he was sad or fuming, Victor didn't know.

XXX

Victor felt a blunt force on his back as the rubber sole of Adidas shoes made contact.

"Victor Nikiforov is dead!" Yurio shouted as he kicked him multiple times in a row. "Do you think Yakov would've been happy to see this?"

"Before passing away, Yakov handed me the reigns of the Family to me. I don't have to please anyone. I will run the business as I see fit"

"And you think that leading the Family to its ruin is the right way to run the business?"

"Yuratchka." Victor's voice rose, "I gave you the chance to start a new life with a new identity." But then, he continued softly, "You have a thing for skating—don't try to deny it—I've seen you spend most of your free time in the skating rink. You're young. You can still start a career in Figure Skating."

"But what about the rest of the family?!"

"They have all made their own choices. Listen, if you guys really wanted to continued this gang, then Chris would've put a bullet through my skull as soon as I said that I wanted to turn myself in. We all know how Mafia Gangs work. Bosses die all the time and new bosses take over."

"Tch. Chris would never do that. He's different."

"Exactly Yurio. We're all different."

"You're impossible" Yurio seethed as he walked away.

XXX

Victor drove to the police station and stood in front of a shocked Yuri. He held his hands up, "I am Victor Nikiforov, Boss of Yakov Clan. I surrender."

After the shock wore off, Yuri walked with his handcuffs towards Victor.

But Victor smiled. "Officer, you are quite ignorant about many things. Yakov clan is not the whole gang, it is only a handful of people. You see, we had brought many small gangs with their gang leaders under one common umbrella. We don't cause the crime in the city, we control the crime rates" His tone turned dark, "If the leash were to be broken, all hell will break loose. Are you ready for that officer? Because once the lion is dead, all the hyenas will clash to get the bigger share of the feast." He held out his hands, "Arrest me only if you think you'll be able to save everyone from the cross fire, officer." The challenge was clear in his eyes.

Yuri stood his ground, "Yes I will. But I will also have to make you spill all you know about these smaller gangs—their leaders, theirs guns, their pattern of attack. And I will make sure you give me those answers."

V's eyes sparked up. He knew his Yuri would pull it off.


	6. Chapter 6

The next few weeks saw the Detroit police face the most challenging trials of all times. True to Victor's predictions, the city had turned into the battlefield of numerous gang wars.

The Detroit police sought reinforcements from the State. The police headquarters itself was in a pandemonium with reports of gang wars coming in left and right.

Yuri, Phichit, Robin, Mat and John—neither of them managed to get much sleep. They all headed small squads to patrol the city streets and whenever a gun-war erupted, they were quick to take action.

Robin, in particular, had shown a great change. His nervousness dissolved as he took charge of a squad. Gone were the days when he would fumble while tackling a brawny man. Yuri felt proud of him.

But they did not always emerge victorious. Some of the citizens ended up wounded, a significant amount of public property was damaged and two of his officers had been killed in action. Phichit had sustained a gunshot dangerously near to the heart. He was currently in the ICU—prognosis unclear.

After a day filled with deafening gunshots had come to an end, Yuri was standing in front of the prison building in which Victor had been kept captive.

Reports had come in regarding some tension between JJ's gang and three smaller gangs which had united. They were expecting a gang war in the market the next morning.

Yuri entered the building and found Victor's cell.

"Victor," Yuri whispered, his mouth touching the metal bars.

Victor's silhouette emerged from the darkness as he shuffled towards him. He was about to give snide remarks about whether Yuri had come to revel in the achievement of putting Victor Nikiforov behind the bars. But the spiteful words were lost as soon as he regarded Yuri's face. He was clearly sleep deprived and there were stress lines around his eyes.

Yuri rested his right hand against the metallic bars and whispered again, "Victor, how are you?"

Victor put his hand on Yuri's, across the bar, "Better than you, I suppose. How is the city holding up?"

"We've managed to prevent any civilian from dying, but…" Y looked away, pain evident in his expression, "at the cost of casualties on our side,"

"I know how painful it can be." Victor _knew_.

"But that's not what I'm here for," Yuri looked up. He passed his hand between the bars to intertwine his fingers with Victor's.

Yuri took a deep breath and said, "I love you. I don't think I've said it to you before but I'd fallen in love with you long ago. When we took Makka on walks, when we cooked together, when I fell asleep on your lap while you were reading."

_You did once, when you were asleep. _Victor thought, _You made my heart jump_

"When I found out your real identity," Yuri continued, "I kept telling myself that my feelings for you should just die. But they didn't. And _that _makes me a terrible cop" he gave a mirthless laugh at the end.

"Yuri," Victor said firmly, "You don't slack off at your duty and you don't take bribes. That itself makes you a better cop than most others." He tightened his grasp around Yuri's hand, "You're fighting tirelessly and fearlessly against some of the deadliest gangs. You're the best superhero Detroit can hope for."

Yuri smiled slightly, "Somehow, coming from you, that still makes me feel better."

Victor moved closer, so that his forehead rested against Yuri's across the bars, "I love you too, you know"

Yuri closed his eyes, content to just stand there like that. Victor saw his expression relax a little.

"Victor?" he spoke at length.

"Hm?"

Yuri pulled away, "There's something I wanted to give you." He took out a golden ring from his pocket, "I'd bought these a few weeks before your arrest…before it all started." He took Victor's left hand from across the bars and slid it on his ring finger.

Victor stood in awe at the man in front of him. Yuri didn't say anything. There really was no need—they both knew what it meant.

After a long stretch of time, Victor began to cry—the teardrops silently sliding across his cheeks and a soft sob escaped his lips.

Yuri hushed him, "Shh… Victor. I…I had thought out the whole scene in my mind. How I would surprise you and then…how you would smile to light up the whole town."

And so, through the tears, Victor smiled the most radiant smile.

Yuri smiled back.

Then he went away.


	7. Chapter 7

Yuri aimed his gun through the window.

He was taking cover in an abandoned mall along with Mat and a few other police officers. They heard a shell being fired.

"The Green Park is on fire. I repeat Green Park is on Fire. Over" a voice shouted through the static of walkie talkie. Mat cursed.

The gang war at the market had ensued. It was a battle like no other. The police had barely managed to evacuate the city in time.

Yuri assayed their position. They were all inside the RR Mall. The Mercedes Showroom was just adjacent to them. Green Park stood diagonally opposite to them

Yuri's field of vision was clouded by the smoke coming from Green Park.

"Shit. We can't see a thing. Everyone bend down!"

The gunshots echoed through the market and various voiced shouted through the walkie talkie.

"JJ identified. He's in Mercedes shop along with his men!" It was Robin's voice.

Yuri perked up at that. There was only one way to end this.

"Do we have police in Mercedes Shop?" Yuri shouted.

"No," Robin's voice was heard to discern through the static, but Yuri did not wait for a repeat.

He looked out through the window and took in his surroundings. There was a tree wide enough to give cover. But the distance between the tree and the front door was more than 6 meters. With the rate the gun shots were being fired, the odds of surviving a run from the door to the tree were low.

There was another window. The distance was about 6 feet. Yuri knew he would have to take the chance.

"Stay put, everyone" he instructed.

Mat was astonished, "You're not thinking of—"

"I have to. If we get JJ, this fight ends."

He leaped out of the window and dashed towards the tree.

As soon as he had taken cover behind the tree, he felt a bullet scratch past his left ear and plant itself on the wall where Yuri had been just a moment before. A sharp pain erupted in the ear. Yuri grunted. _That was close_.

He looked at the gate of the Mercedes shop. _Almost 7 feet_. Guns were being fired at a steady pace. He would have to wait.

After what seemed like a lifetime of raining bullets, the gunfire stopped—if only for a brief moment. This was it.

Yuri raced towards it. He heard a gunshot and immediately bend down. His momentum caused him to roll towards the door. He shot at the lock and pushed the door open, firing wildly.

He saw JJ standing there, blood covering his clothes and surrounded by dead bodies.

Through the clamor coming from Yuri's walkie talkie, a distinct voice shouted, "They're aiming a shell at RR Mall! Repeat, they're—"

In his peripheral vision, he saw rubbles from the RR Mall flying towards pulled the trigger. He did not get the chance to see whether he had hit JJ.

XXX

Victor sat in the silence of his cell. He held out his hand in front of him, regarding his golden band. Even in the darkness, it gave off a distinct spark. He brought the ringed finger to his lips and kissed it.

"What's the update about the market war?" he heard the voice of a constable.

"Not good…not good at all. Lots of damage. They blew up the Green Park and RR Mall. It took the fire brigade over two hours to get the place sorted"

"But I heard that JJ was caught."

"That's the only good news, man. Many of our officers, including Inspector Sergeant Mat, were in the Mall. I heard—" his voice dropped an octave, "none of them made it."

"Oh…that's bad. First Inspector Phichit in the ICU and now this"

"Phichit's stable though. But we can't say the same for Inspector Katsuki. At the mention of Yuri's name, Victor's heart began beating wildly.

The constable continued, "apparently, he was found beneath a heap of rubble. He was rushed to the ER. But we don't know if he made it."

Victor ran to the metal bars of his cell. "Please, take me to the hospital, where Yuri is" he implored.

"Why? So that you can finish what they couldn't, by killing him yourself?" one of the constables jeered.

No matter how much Victor begged, his pleas fell on deaf ears. By the time the two constables left him to his own devices, he began crying wildly.

XXX

It must've been hours or days—Victor didn't keep track—before the door to his cell opened and Robin approached him.

"Hello Victor," Robin said, "I won't say that I'm happy to see you again,"

Victor stopped breathing. He feared the worst.

"Don't look at me like that. He's not dead."

Victor was visibly relieved.

"Don't be too happy," Robin snapped, "Sergeant Yuri was…is…a hero. He managed to take down JJ." He continued, "when we found him, he was unconscious. The right half of his body—except the head, thank God the head was spared—was buried under tons of concrete. The doctors are saying it's critical. He lost a lot of blood, his right lung was crushed and his liver is in bad shape. There's internal bleeding everywhere…"

"Please, can I see him? Victor's voice was barely a whisper.

"That's what I came here for."


	8. Chapter 8

**EPILOGUE**

Yuri had survived the Market Gang war. However, owing to his injuries, his career in police had ended. He had been awarded with a Gold Medal for bravery and currently lived off states' pension. He spent his time teaching youngsters about firearms.

Victor had begun a business of textiles. Despite the initial hurdles, he managed to make the business run smoothly. They kept contact with Yurio, Otabek, Mila and Chris. Yurio had finally started skating classes. Otabek spent his free time there. Victor often teased him about Otabek, to which Yurio's classic response would be to shout obscenities at Victor.

Victor and Yuri were chatting as they ate in the La Belle Restaurant. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Yurio enter the restaurant and walk towards the counter. He talked with a waitress for a while, she was laughing at some joke that Yurio had just whispered in her ear. Then, very discreetly, she handed out a small envelop to Yurio.

Victor had noted that an hour ago, a well dressed foreigner sitting at the table on their right had slipped the same envelop in her skirt pocket.

"I'm glad that they've started serving Katsudon here." Yuri said as was about to eat spoonful of his favourite pork cutlet bowl.

"I want to eat from your hands" Victor said as he opened his mouth in a wide heart shape.

"Victor!" Yuri admonished him, "We're in public"

"Pleeeaase…" he made his best puppy dog eyes.

Yuri could never put up a fight against those eyes. Victor closed his eyes in bliss as Yuri fed him.

Once they had finished and paid the bill, Victor said, "I need to use the restroom. I'll be back in a minute,"

Victor entered the restroom and unzipped his pants. In the cubicle to his right, there stood a man with balding head. The remaining hair in his head had turned grey and stood in the form of spikes that emerged from behind his ears.

"I'm disappointed in you, Vitya," the balding man said.

"I'm very, very sorry for letting you down." Victor said, "But _thank you_ for letting me go." He said this with so much fervor, that Yakov looked up. For a brief moment, they both made eye contact.

Then, Yakov looked away. He gave a brief nod.

Victor zipped up his pants and walked out of the restroom.

The Yakov Clan was still active. Yurio, Otabek, Mila and Chris had joined Yakov. Victor knew that they were Mafioso to the core. Yurio and the others didn't tell him anything—respecting his wish to stay out of Mafia activities. But he also knew how lucky he had been. You never turned your back and walked out on the Mafia. The Mafia would always trace you back and find you. But Yakov had pardoned Victor.

Victor was also grateful that Yuri was no longer a part of the Detroit police.


End file.
